Take me as I am, Hire me, or Leave me

My Final Thoughts

Over the past few days, I have dedicated an hour everyday to reflect upon my  graduate school experience. With graduation behind me, a new job, and a new  chapter in my life in front of me, its hard to put into words what I am feeling at this moment. However, I will do my best to give advice for  those of you who are still in grad school.

1.     Live in the moment/ have fun- Enjoy every moment of this experience. You will regret it once its over. Stay up a few minutes later to have that conversation with a classmate, take more pictures at events or outings, smile more, laugh everyday and finally, take sometime to do a little reflection.

   2.  Create your own opportunities- If a colleague asks you to be on a committee and you have time do it, go for it. If you see a need for a new initiative, create it. If you see a job posting you don’t think your qualify for, apply for it anyway, you never know.  To gain more experience volunteer in another office.  Remember  to make your time at your institution your own, no one else is going to do it for you.

3.     Network- I can’t stress this enough. Join a national organization, volunteer with them, volunteer at a conference. Ask your colleagues to connect you with their friends at other institutions, or join the student affairs community on twitter.   Here is one of my favorite quotes about networking; “Networking is an essential part of building wealth.”  -Armstrong Williams –

4.     Don’t be scared to ask for what you need- This one I’ve struggled with. I found myself the most frustrated when I didn’t ask for what I needed. Your boss or coworkers are not mind readers. The worst thing could happen is they could say no.

5.     Remember to take care of yourself- Yes, it may hard to balance school and work but don’t forget to take care of yourself.  Schedule time during the week to participate in activities that you enjoy that are not related to your work. Maybe it’s enjoying the outdoors, going to the gym, cooking, or even blogging. Whatever it is, make sure it empowers you.

  6.     Reflect- I’ve found scheduling an hour a week to reflect has helped me grow. It’s also a way to remind me of who I am as a person, who I’m grateful for and where I see myself going in the future.

As I take a look back on my journey it’s hard to believe how much I’ve grown and changed since the beginning of December. I have more confidence in myself, I  am more comfortable rolling with the punches and I’ve learned to enjoy life. Thank you so much for following me on my journey!

Small Town, Big (City) Dreams #25

Additional Words of Wisdom

As a reminder, with this post I am summarizing tips about the job search, interviewing, and conferences.

In my previous post, I mentioned that conferences were not for everyone, especially when certain positions are not interviewing there. While I stand by my previous statement, I do believe that you can seriously leverage your conference experience to your advantage. Specifically, if you are job searching, it may be wise to submit a program proposal for a professional development topic of the interviewers expertise. This will demonstrate a number of valuable qualities to he employer, but one must mention this to the interviewer I they  do not recognize it on the resume. Additionally, I think you would need to approach this tactfully so as not to appear gloating.

Another piece of advice relates to the role of friend and mentor. Since I was a part of a large cohort, I frequently assumed the role as a friend and confidant to those embarking on  campuses. I relied heavily on empowerment -- that's what I do with my students right? I remember one occasion where I told a friend not to sweat her on campus because I was certain given her experience, connections and rapport with  the office (and considering they had planned to hire 2 of the 3 individuals coming to campus) that she could easily be a top candidate. She ended up being turned down for the position. I felt like I did my friend a disservice by convincing her that she was an ideal candidate. As a mentor, colleague, and friend, we must ensue that we are always considering the what ifs, as well as the of courses.

Take me as I am, Leave me, or hire me- I finally graduated!

Hello!
 Last Saturday I graduated! Woohoooo!! The day finally came and it was everything I expected and more. My parents and brother are local, and my sister, her girlfriend and their two dogs drove over from Tampa. it was nice to have the entire family together to celebrate my special day.   I treated myself to the morning at the salon, I got my hair and makeup done. Then started the day at my parents house with a huge Italian lunch. You know, Italian bread, cold cuts, peppers and lots of mozzarella! Yum!
We took some family pictures before it was time to head over to graduation. I've started at my cap and gown for weeks, but  it still hasn't hit me that I completed my masters until I met my classmates and saw them in their cap in gown looking fabulous. I couldn't stop taking pictures! It was amazing. The best part of the day was of course when they called my name and I got to walk across the stage. I still get chills every time I think about it.

Since last Saturday, I've been floating on cloud 9. I've been trying to find the words to express to you all what I'm feeling. My journey hasn't been easy. I failed many, many times during my 4 year journey. I went through two programs, found out I had a learning disability and self doubted myself more than I should have. But I shook it off and now I have my masters!!  But what made me cry was the message my sister wrote in her card. It reads: "Today, I am so proud of you. I'm proud of what you have accomplished in spite of the obstacles. I'm proud of the strong women you've become in the process. I'm proud that you never gave up even when you failed.  Because sometime you need to fail in order to succeed. You learned that your stronger than you thought you were, and you learn what you need to do next time, and most importantly, what not to do again." It goes on and on but she ends the card with a quote: " Only those who dare to fail greatly, can ever achieve greatly." -Robert Kennedy-

So my advice of the day is: Don't settle for less,  go after your dreams.


I've never been more proud of myself than I am at this point in my life. Life keeps getting better.

Take Me As I am, Hire Me, or Leave Me 26

Today, I received the final bit of information to make any soon to be grad happy. Congratulations, you have passed your comprehensive exam.  Did I just read that sentence correctly? Hold up let me read that again. Congratulations you have PASSED your comprehensive exam. Yup, that’s right, I passed!

Uncontrollable tears rolled down my cheeks as I stared at the computer screen. My dream of earning a Masters degree just became surreal to me. I’ve been waiting for this moment for four years.  The road has been long and bumpy. Two programs later, a year of unemployment I have finally reached my goal. Bitter sweet.

As I graduate on Saturday, I look back and thank all of the people who told me I wouldn’t make it to this point in my life. I thank them for lighting a fire under my butt and proving them I am worthy of this degree. I also want to thank my friends, family and mentors who have cheered me along the way, who have pushed me when I wanted to give up, offered me words of inspiration and encouragement. Without them, I would have listened to the voices of those who told me I wouldn’t make it.

It’s amazing what you can do when you put your mind, heart and soul into it. For the first time in my life I believe that I am exactly where I am suppose to be and my past experiences have guided me to where I will go next.

“To accomplish great things, we must dream as well as act.”

― Anatole France

Small Town, Big (City) Dreams #24

As I file paperwork, unpack and repack my belongings in preparation to start my new position in July, I am overwhelmed at the chaos of the past few months. I presented at ACPA, passed my comprehensive exams, graduated with a Master of Science, accepted an amazing job. Again, I will be moving across the country to start a new chapter. I cannot wait for this new beginning. I have great feelings about this next move and am already inspired by the potential of the future. Here are a few tips that I have regarding the job search process:

• ·      Conferences are not for everyone. The C3/TPE experience is an excellent opportunity to network and conduct first and second round interviews IF there are positions that you are interested in. None of my interviews at C3 resulted in an on-campus interview. However, I didn’t interview for any positions or institutions that I was particularly excited about! Make sure you do your research ahead of time.
• ·      Discover what you want and make it happen. When I began the job search, I wanted to work at an art school on the east coast located in a large city. Kind of limited my possibilities, didn’t it? However, I can say that knowing what I wanted and why helped me land a job at an art school on the east coast located in a city!
• ·      Flexibility. At first, I did not apply to any positions with a live-in component. However, living on campus is a smart financial move, especially with college debt, or for someone who is just starting out. I found that it was helpful to discuss with potential employers what their live-on/live-in experiences were like in order to prevent what I did not enjoy about my graduate assistantship.

Stay tuned next week with more words of advice from one job seeker to another!

Take Me As I am, Hire Me, or Leave Me 25

Friendships


First off, I would like to congratulate my counterpart, Small Town, Big City on your new job.  I wish nothing but the best for you! Go kick some butt, you have a lot of offer this field!

Over the past few days I've been trying to keep a smile on my face, hold back my tears and just live in the moment. In two weeks my classmates and I will FINALLY  graduate (Yes, this is a VERY LATE graduation!) Over the past two years, I've become close to three amazing men. Two of which I work with, the other is my work hubby. I know that I will see them at upcoming  conferences, visit them during my vacation time, text them everyday, skype them weekly and call them whenever I need to, but, I won't get to see them everyday. Our friendship is amazing. I couldn't have asked for better friends.

Until one of us leaves  I will cherish every moment I have with them.  I will stay out a little later, laugh a little harder, take more pictures and live in the moment.

Nothing is worth more than this day. 
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Small Town, Big (City) Dreams #23

Hired and Some Wisdom for the Future

Its official!  I accepted my job offer two days ago.  I am very excited to begin working on July 9^th!  There was not much negotiation that I needed to do because I was satisfied with salary, start date, and responsibilities.  So all in all, the job search process was relatively smooth despite periods of uncertainty.

Now, I believe over half of my cohort is employed.  Many individuals are in the on-campus stage, while some are continuing to apply to new postings.  For many, this month is one of transition—moving home or to a new city/state to begin working, saying goodbye to assistantship providers, colleagues, and friends, and trying to negotiate our existence with the cohort and a familiarity that we once took for granted.

For those that are still looking: you are amazing and will find a position and institution that is perfect for you.  Believe in the power of the second wave—good things will happen.  If not, hey, this is the first of many job searches and something wonderful will come along soon. 

Take Me As I am, Hire Me, or Leave Me 24

It's Time to Relax!

Last week at this time, I was completing the final step of my graduate degree,  I was taking my comps.

I tried climbing into my bed at 9:30pm but visions of theories, laws, human needs model, current issues, and Schwarz facilitation model was running through my head. It was well after 12:30 when I finally  said to myself , " YOU ARE READY TO TAKE THIS TEST, NOW GO TO SLEEP." 

I woke up at 6:15 to make sure I gave myself plenty of time to eat, enjoy a cup of coffee and look over my notes one last time. Mix emotions were running through my body, I was more excited than nervous. As I walked over to the testing center I saw my mentor on her way to work. She stopped,  gave me a big hug, looked me in the eyes and said " I believe in you, you are going to kick some butt." I appreciate her last minute supportive words as I entered the classroom. I arrived at 7:45am for a 8 am start. Because I have special accommodations I had a room to myself with my own computer as well as 2 extra hours. I entered the room and nothing was set up. REALLY?!?! I thought to myself. I hoped this would go smoothly. I've learned that in the field of Student Affairs we must roll with the punches, and I sat their as calmly as I could until the computer guy to set me up.  Finally, 45 minutes later ( a half hour late) I was ready to begin.

Our comps are broken up into two parts; part 1 ( the morning) is our conflict resolution classes and part two  ( the afternoon) is our student affairs classes. The program provides a case study that we use for the entire day. Each part has 5 questions, we choose two. The case study this year was about protesting and the pepper spray innocent that happened at UC Davis. I am happy with the case study and the questions they asked. I think I did rather well, but won't get my results for 4-6 weeks.

I am happy the test is behind me and I can finally relax! 

Small Town, Big (City) Dreams #22

Almost Employed...!?

On Tuesday I received a phone call my from my recent on campus stating that they are checking references on me… since I was their top candidate!  The director of the office stated that he would need to wait for paperwork to go through HR to have further discussions with me sometime today or Tuesday.  I am very excited, because I am 99% sure I will accept the position once I am officially offered! It is a great feeing when you can begin to picture your new life and be really proud of what it will be.

For those of you who are still searching, I would keep in mind the HR process in your interview experience. Luckily, my institution has been very transparent with the timeline, but this is not always the case. 

I will update you all on the negotiation process!

Take Me As I am, Hire Me, or Leave Me 23

 A Little Test Called Comps

42+ hours of studying + gallons of coffee+ 8 hours of test taking =  a very brain dead, sleep deprived, yet, proud woman:)

I started off my day off  by receiving a good luck prayer from my soon to be boss, followed by a text from my soon to be co-worker. I love when I have moments like this, where I'm reminded that I made the best decision in the world to work for this university. They have been nothing but supportive, cheering me on for the past two weeks! I am blessed.

Once I read all the tweets, texts and Facebook messages from all my family, friends and mentors I was ready to tackle that test. Our day was broken down into two parts. The morning focused on our conflict resolution classes, while the afternoon focused on Student Affairs with only an hour break. By lunch I was tired, hungry and brain dead. But after spending sometime with my fellow classmates  to life up my spirits and energy eat I was ready to finish strong. By 5pm I had completed the test. What a long day.  As soon as I walked out of the room I started to cry tears of joy. This four year journey has come to an end. There were so  many bumps, twists and turns that I had to overcome to get to this point, but there was just as many moments of laughter, love and growth.

To my support system, Thank you for cheering me on, believing when I didn't believe in myself.
To the people who told me NO, you won't make it, your not worthy.. I thank you the most for lighting a fire under my butt & for the motivation to keep going.

I am excited to be done, now it's time to wait for graduation and countdown until I start my new job!
Everything is falling into place and I can't be more grateful.

Small Town, Big (City) Dreams #21

On-Campus Jitters

As I sit in the airport to board my last flight before my first on-campus interview, my stomach is churning with excitement. Last night, I put the final touches on my presentation, and tonight I plan on ensuring that it is under 20 minutes! I think it turned out very well...yet it was hard to finish because of graduation weekend and the craziness of my family visiting and saying goodbye to friends. It felt like another class presentation...but with much more at stake. I'm very proud of it; it clearly demonstrated the theory to practice I learned over the past two years!!

Yesterday, I was reviewing the employer's conditions of employment and was a little taken aback. The institution does not allow overnight guests when school is in session! Wow! Since I will be moving far away from family and friends, I would probably be having visitors during my off days. If I wasn't able to do this...I'm not sure how I would survive! As I was speaking with my current supervisor, she recommended that I ask, "can you help me understand the context of this policy?". I plan on asking the director, with whom I have already established good rapport, at the end of the day.

Take Me As I am, Hire Me, or Leave Me 22

Late Friday afternoon I was sitting in my boss's office, with a look of concern on my face.  Just a few hours ago I was bouncing around the office with excitement, now I'm sitting in front of her almost in tears. "What's wrong" she asked me?

"I'm scared to tell my parents the good news." She looked at me confused. 

I tried to explain to her that all my life my parents have found a way to say negative things to me even if they didn't realize it.  For example, two weeks ago I was having lunch with my parents and we were talking about my graduation dinner, my father says, "didn't we just celebrate your high school and college graduation a few years ago? Why do we have to do it again?" (1.Ouch, that was a low blow, how could they not be excited that their little girl is getting a maters degree? 2. my HS graduation was almost 10 years ago and my college graduation was  5 years ago.)

My boss assured me my parents will be thrilled with the exiting news and that tonight was about me not them.

I hate to admit this, but she was right. ( SHH don't tell her I said that.)  After the wine was poured at dinner,  I lifted up my glass and said " cheers to my new job" My parents let out cries of excitement as the whole restaurant looked at us. Not only was it a good moment, it was a good dinner. Not once did they say anything negative. Finally, they shared this moment with me by celebrating my success and not once did they make it about them. It was an amazing feeling.

I had another great feeling this week. On Wednesday, my mentor was finally able to call me. She had been away on business for the weekend and even though we spoke over text, it didn't feel "official" until I heard her voice. She was SOOO excited, which made me feel awesome. She couldn't stop telling me how proud she was. " I know how hard you worked for this moment, you did this, you know? she said to me . " I couldn't have done it without your help." I said " NO, you DID this yourself, I just cheered you on" she said. She has a way of reminding me  I need to OWN my accomplishments. From that moment on I was owning this accomplishment. 

Later in the day I sent her a text about how I am lucky to have her as a mentor in my life  and how good it feels to have someone cheering you on and celebrating with you along the way. She responded: " I am lucky to be a part of your journey. You have worked hard for this and I am so proud of you and especially glad to know that YOU are proud of YOU!" I took a moment to think about what she said. Of course I am proud of myself but I have always brushed my success under the rug.  In my mind it has always been an expectation that  I graduate from High school and College. Why should I celebrate if I am expected to do so. But now I realize the reason why I haven't been satisfied with my success is because I never gave the credit to myself. Did you see easier how I gave my mentor credit. Yes, she cheered me along the way, gave me a few pointers but I did all the work and that is what she is excited for. She finally sees that I am proud of myself and so am I :)

Small Town, Big (City) Dreams #20

Presentation Time

I am now completely done with graduate school.

And yet, I am completely overwhelmed with my assistantship. This is the busiest time of year, helping over 200 college women move out in a little under 48 hours.  Not to mention it is almost 90 degrees!  As I am sitting at our checkout table, I continue to work on my presentation for my on-campus interview less than a week from today.

I’m a great ideas person.  When it comes to enacting those ideas in a way that others would understand…I kind of falter.  I think it is because I am so incredibly excited about what I usually present on that I make a lot of assumptions as far as what the audience already knows.

The prompt stated “20 minutes professional development topic of your choosing”.  Originally, I thought the topic would be incredibly easy, but after some time I realize that it is challenging to demonstrate 1. My intellectual curiosity and successes; 2. My intellectual curiosity without sounding too abstract or over the top; 3. My ability to translate theory to practice; 4. An engaging topic that will be relevant to my future profession.

Perhaps I am overthinking it.

As I prepare for this one on-campus, I think about all the other institutions that I have interviewed with over the course of the past few weeks.  I will need to notify them that I am moving forward in my search.  While I have prepared for that conversation, it seems much more real as the time approaches.

Take Me as I am, Hire Me, or Leave Me 21

Trust the Process.


I have heard these words over and over again since I've started grad school. Trust the process, trust the process. What does that mean exactly? These were words spoken to me,  which I never understood until Friday. After waiting, and waiting and more waiting I finally got a phone call in the  afternoon. "Congratulations, we would love for you to join our team!" My stomach did a few flip-flops, a smile appeared on my face, tears were rolled down my face as I said YES on the spot! There was no need of negotiation or time to think about it, this IS the perfect fit for me. Words can not express my excitement. After getting off the phone I let out a very loud WOOOHOOOO!! My co-workers came running to my office.. "What happened"  they asked at once!  "I got the job!!" I told them with tears in my eyes! After all the hugs, high fives and congratulations it was time to call my mentors & friends.  The best moment of the day was watching my family's reaction to my announcement. It was priceless, words cannot describe it.   




As I spent the weekend on cloud 9 reflecting,  I wondered how I got so lucky. This job is everything I wanted: a small private Catholic women's college,  in res life working in a first year hall in a great region both for NASPA and housing.   Only 48 women's colleges remain and only 7 positions were open.. and I got one of them. AMAZING. . I don't think this happens very often.. I mean everything I want, one interview and a job offer.  So this is what it means to trust the process. 


My advice for those still searching is:  know what you want,  do your research, be proactive, and trust the process. There is a job for everyone, just keep an open mind and a positive attitude:) 



I will have to say  I am very, very blessed. For the experiences I've had in undergrad and grad school, the support from my mentors and from the Twitter community. Thank you. 


There's a quote that says:
"You are exactly where you are supposed to be at this moment, no matter where you are and no matter what you have done – you are right where you are supposed to be. " Unknown


I am right where I am suppose to be; moving to the Midwest, with a wonderful staff, at a wonderful university. They took me for who I am, and HIRED ME!!!


Thank you for joining me on my very short journey, I hope you enjoyed it. 

Small Town, Big (City) Dreams #19

On-Campus Time

On Wednesday, I was offered my first on-campus interview!  The position incorporates residence life hall responsibilities and judicial affairs for a small campus located in an east coast city!  Perhaps this small town, big city dreams has the potential to come true, after all! I will have a little under two weeks to prepare for the interview, including a 20 minute presentation.  I am very excited about the interview, but am nervous that the location is too far from my hometown, and my network of supportive friends and family.  Venturing far from what is familiar will be something that I have to strongly consider after the interview experience.

On top of on-campuses, I am preparing for the last week of my graduate career. The feeling is actually unreal—it feels like I have been here longer than two years, investing more time and energy that I did in my undergraduate experience.  The feeling is bittersweet, as I prepare to say goodbye to a cohort of individuals that have meant so much to me over the past few years.